University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
6-1,0-0Big East
Illinois
6-2,0-0Big Ten
#5 UConn Tops #13 Illinois In Wire-To-Wire Win At MSG
11/28/2025 3:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – The No. 5 UConn men's basketball team (6-1) led wire-to-wire and knocked off No. 13 Illinois (6-2) on Friday afternoon at the SentinelOne Showdwon at Madison Square Garden. NYC-native Malachi Smith had a huge game off the bench for the Huskies with 14 points and a game-high nine assists, also converting a game-sealing four-point play in the final minutes of regulation.
The Huskies turned in a terrific defensive performance in the win, stymieing a high-powered Illinois offense that came in averaging nearly 95 points per game to 32.1 percent shooting from the field and 20.7 percent from three. Solo Ball led the Huskies with 15 points and added five rebounds with two steals, while Alex Karaban was the third UConn player in double-figures with 12 and a team-high nine rebounds.
UConn took a lead on its first offensive possession and never relented. The Huskies led by 11 at the break and went up as many as 21 in the second half. A late 13-2 rally for the Illini got them back within seven, but that was the closest it would ever come in the second half.
How it Happened
Ball and Karaban hit early 3-pointers to get the Huskies going and take a 6-2 lead. Later in the frame from 17:45 to 13:27 UConn hit six-straight from the field, and a 10-0 run made it 23-12 with Ball's four-point play at 12:05.
Jaylin Stewart drilled a transition 3-pointer at 8:03 of the first that brought the Garden crowd to its fett, part of an 8-0 run the put the Huskies up 36-22 for their largest lead of the proceedings. The Illini answered with a 6-0 mini-run to force a UConn timeout, up eight, with 4:50 to play in the opening stanza.
Karaban quelled the run after the stop with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the lead back to double-figures. In the dying moments of the half, Smith drove and found a cutting Dwayne Koroma for a two-hand slam that gave the Huskies a 43-32 lead at the break. Ball led the Huskies with 13 points in the first.
After a Ball bucket to open the second half ledger, UConn missed its next seven from the field and Illinois crept closer before a Karaban bucket it that made it 48-38 at 16:10. That sparked an 11-2 run, and a Jayden Ross 3-pointer at 13:31 led to a Illinois timeout with the Huskies up 57-40 and MSG in a frenzy.
Back-to-back baskets from freshmen Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe pushed the UConn lead over 20 for the first time with the Huskies going up 64-43 at 9:59 of the second. The Illini answered emphatically, going on a 11-0 run to pull within 10 and prompt a UConn timeout at 6:07 with the lead down to 64-54.
After the stoppage and two stops a Reibe bucket inside at 5:17 snapped the Illinois run. At 2:57 an Illinois 3-pointer pushed the run to 13-2 got the lead to seven, the first time in the second half the Illini pulled within single-digits. On the ensuing trip, Smith banked home a deep 3-pointer and was fouled, converting the four-point play to put UConn up 70-59 with 2:10 to play. That would effectively ice the contest as Illinois would get no closer.
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 41.3 percent from the field (26-63), 35.7 percent (10-28) from three and 70.6 percent (12-17) from the line
- Conversely, UConn held Illinois to 19-60 (31.7) shooting from the floor and 6-29 (20.7) from 3-point range
- The Huskies shot better in the opening stanza, hitting at a 46.7 percent (14-30) clip
- In the second half, Connecticut held Illinois to a paltry 23.1 percent (6-26) from the field and 12.5 percent (2-16) from three
- Illinois stuck around thanks in part to going 17-of-18 (94.4) from the line
- The Huskies finished with a 43-38 edge on the glass
- Karaban led the Huskies with nine caroms, while Reibe snared seven and Ball, Tarris Reed Jr. and Stewart all had five
- UConn turned 14 offensive rebounds into 11 second chance points
- UConn dished out 19 assists on 26 field goals, led by nine from Smith and Karaban's five
- The Huskies had a 7-3 edge in steals and a 7-5 advantage in blocks
- Ball had two steals and five other Huskies recorded a swipe
- Karaban swatted a game-high three shots and Reibe blocked a pair
News and Notes
- UConn is now 4-1 all-time against Illinois
- The Huskies are 78-68 all-time at Madison Square and 16-8 at MSG under Dan Hurley
- Connecticut has won its last five regular season non-conference games in Manhattan
- The Huskies are 27-6 at neutral sites since the start of the 2022-23 season
- Ball scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 40th time in his career, he has hit double-digits in 39 of his 52 career starts
- Braylon Mullins made his UConn debut in the first half and finished with two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes, hitting his first career basket with a jumper at 11:27 of the second
- Reed Jr. saw his first game action since Nov. 15 and had five rebounds in 15 minutes
Up Next
The Huskies head to Lawrence for their first true road test, a Tuesday tilt at Kansas on Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
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